Centre allocates 50 lakh tonne additional foodgrains to the States

The Centre has allocated about 50 lakh tonne of additional foodgrains to the State. The allocation is for below poverty line (BPL) families and includes both wheat and rice. As per the state-wise allocation Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar has been allocated the maximum amount of foodgrains.  Uttar Pradesh state has been allocated 818,879 tons of foodgrains compromising of 491,509 tons of rice and 327,370 tons of wheat.

Similarly, Maharashtra has been allocated 501,059 tons of foodgrains compromising 217,394 tons of rice and 283,665 tons of wheat while Bihar has been allocated 500,213 tons of foodgrains compromising of 334,120 tons of rice and 166,093 tons of wheat. Separately, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh have been allocated 397,152 tons, 372,918 tons and 316,324 tons of foodgrains respectively.

Meanwhile, certain states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have been allocated foodgrains but the allocation is subjected to the off-take or earlier allocations made to the state.

Last month, an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee approved a proposal to release 50 lakh tonnes of grains through the public distribution system (PDS) for the below poverty line families. This step was taken as the country was facing with the problem of plenty foodgrains amidst record food grains procurement. The allocation of 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to BPL families will cost exchequer Rs 8,500 crore.